Trinity Fields School and Resource Centre

The Trinity Fields School and Resource Centre expansion is a landmark investment in specialist education, providing 80 additional student places in a state-of-the-art two-storey facility designed to support pupils with profound and complex needs. Established in 1998, the school is a recognised centre of excellence in inclusive education, and this expansion ensures that it continues to meet the growing demand for specialist learning environments.

Delivered in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council, the project provides a modern, accessible, and sustainable extension featuring ten specialist classrooms, a blue roof system, and advanced Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) for effective water management.

The project was delivered with minimal disruption to learning, ensuring that students and staff continued their day-to-day activities while the new facilities were constructed.

Project Delivery

Operating within a live SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) school environment presented unique challenges, requiring careful planning, flexibility, and close collaboration with the school leadership.

The team delivered:

• Phased construction and logistical planning, ensuring a safe, secure, and uninterrupted learning environment.
• Early stakeholder engagement, enabling the design to be refined in collaboration with educators, SEND specialists, and local authorities.
• Infrastructure and drainage upgrades, integrating an extensive Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) to support long-term site sustainability.

Specialist Learning & Inclusive Design

The new facility is designed to support a range of learning needs, incorporating:

• Ten specialist classrooms, equipped with adaptive technology and sensory-friendly design elements.
• Accessible outdoor learning spaces, including sensory gardens and play areas designed for mobility-impaired students.
• A blue roof system, reducing surface water runoff and contributing to site-wide flood resilience.
• Therapy and well-being spaces, supporting students with physical, sensory, and emotional needs.

By co-designing the learning environment with educators and SEND professionals, the project ensures that the facilities are tailored to the unique needs of students.

Sustainability

The expansion of Trinity Fields School aligns with the Welsh Government’s sustainability agenda, integrating low-carbon materials and energy-efficient systems:

• BREEAM Excellent certification, ensuring high environmental performance.
• Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), reducing energy consumption.
• Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, generating renewable energy on-site.
• Recycled and low-carbon materials, reducing the project’s overall embodied carbon footprint.
• Extensive ecological enhancements, including biodiversity improvements to support local wildlife habitats.

Through these measures, the school benefits from lower energy costs, improved indoor air quality, and long-term resilience to climate challenges.

Community & Social Impact

Beyond delivering a world-class educational facility, the project provided significant social value, ensuring that the investment benefited both the local community and the wider region:

• Dedicated employment and training opportunities, supporting local job creation.
• STEM and construction education initiatives, engaging students and staff in the building process and sustainability principles.
• Strong relationships with parents, educators, and community groups, ensuring ongoing dialogue and collaboration throughout the project.